This morning, after a warm greeting at the lobby of the hotel you booked yourself, let’s start this private Forbidden City day tour with Badaling Great Wall. Your guide will accompany you in our comfortable private car and set off for Tiananmen Square located at the core of Beijing’s central axis. 

► Notes:
1. Avoid making your travel plan on Mondays when the Forbidden City is closed. Also, tickets for it need to be booked online with your passport information immediately when they are released 7 days before due to their extremely fast sell-out, so please book this tour with us at least 8 days in advance. 
2. A pair of comfortable sneakers will be of great benefit to your tour that require a lot of walking.
3. Reduce your carry-on to speed through the security checkpoints of Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City. Remember not to bring drones, selfie sticks, or flammable items such as sprays.​

Once you arrive at the large Tiananmen Square, take your time to stroll around and appreciate those landmark buildings, some retaining the solemnity of the ancient imperial architecture while others blend in with modern national symbols. Facing north, you’ll be amazed by the towering Tiananmen Tower, with its striking vermilion walls and golden hip-and-gable roofs shining brightly in the sun. As we approach, your eyes will be drawn to a pair of huge exquisitely carved ornamental columns standing on both sides of it. With your guide, learn why a divine beast is looking southward at the top of each column - symbolizing the hope that the ancient emperor would remember to return to the royal court behind the tower as soon as possible to handle state affairs when he was out for a trip. After passing through one of the five arch gateways at the base of the tower, prepare to be surprised by another pair, with beasts sitting northward, serving as a warning to the emperor not to stay in the palace for too long without going out to understand his people's real conditions.

Moving forward, the essence of today’s itinerary, the Forbidden City, which took 14 years to complete and has been home to 24 emperors from 1420 to 1911 AD, will then be revealed before your eyes. Honored as the largest and the most intact palace complex in the world, the Forbidden City features more than 9,000 wooden rooms spread out along the 960-meter-long (3,150-foot-long) central axis. Accompanied by your guide, soak up the grandness of the resplendent halls and palaces on the midline and discover the hidden charms of main chambers on the two wings.

Entering through the middle gateway of the Meridian Gate, which was exclusively used by the emperors, the first thing that comes into sight will be five parallel marble bridges, with the meandering Inner Golden Water River flowing beneath them. Standing by the bridge with the turrets as the background is a hot practice for visitors to photograph, and your guide will surely be willing to help you take a nice shot with a wide-angle lens here. Continue to go forward, and you’ll reach the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the largest and highest structure on a white marble terrace with three tiers, dedicated to momentous ceremonies, such as the enthronement of a new emperor, the emperor's wedding, birthday, as well as banquets on major traditional festivals. Marvel at the six pillars inside, which are so large that it takes three adults to embrace one at a time. Their surfaces are engraved with coiled dragons and pasted with gold foils of two shades to highlight the three-dimensional effects of the pattern, still shining with dazzling brilliance to this day. 

★ Special Inclusion: Visit Treasure Gallery & Gallery of Timepieces

To enhance your Forbidden City adventure, we have specially included a visit to two renowned galleries in the east of the Inner Court. Entering the Treasure Gallery, you’ll find countless cultural relics of the imperial court, including jewels, jades, and gold and silver wares, making you feel as if you have opened a mysterious door leading to the life of royalty. While in the Gallery of Timepieces, over 1,500 domestic and foreign clocks are on display, ranging from ancient mechanical art to elegant British-style pocket watches, which will leave you in awe of the outstanding craftsmanship of ancient artisans.

​Also, we'll visit the three main palaces for emperors’ and empresses’ residence along the central axis of the Inner Court. Leave your curiosity in the last Palace of Earthly Tranquility, which is both the empress’s bedchamber and the shrine for sacrificial ceremonies. It is interesting to know that on the day of the sacrifice, a pig would be slaughtered in front of the tablets, boiled, and placed on the offering table. After the ceremony, the emperor would lead the ministers to eat the meat, meaning to share the good fortune. As the meat was tasteless and too greasy to swallow, some officials would secretly hide salt in their large sleeves beforehand; while others, in an attempt to please the emperor, would pretend to feast heartily, only to suffer from continuous abdominal pain and thus lost etiquette instead. Next, let’s proceed to the Imperial Garden, a picturesque mecca for the emperor, empress, and concubines to relax and enjoy the beautiful views. After sightseeing the gorgeous rockery landscapes, bridges, and pavilions here, get out of the Forbidden City from its northernmost Gate of Divine Prowess.​

After that, the guide will accompany you on a 5-minute walk further north to the Jingshan Park, nicknamed the ‘millennium viewing platform of the Forbidden City’. The core sight inside, Jingshan Hill, once the highest point of Beijing, was actually artificially created by muck excavated from the moat around the Forbidden City, in order to cater to the traditional geomantic concept of backing mountains and facing water when the emperor ordered the initial construction of the imperial palace. Standing against the railing of the Wanchun Pavilion on the hilltop, you’ll be awestruck by the panoramic view of the Forbidden City with its wave-like golden tiles in the south, the Bell and Drum Towers used for morning and evening timekeeping in the north, as well as the modern skyscrapers and distinctive grey-tiled quadrangle courtyards in old Hutong alleys complement each other on the east and west sides.​

Then, let’s enjoy a 1.5-hour drive to the Badaling Great Wall, the most popular and magnificent part of the Great Wall in Beijing. Back to the 7th century BC, the Great Wall was not that great, with just some short sections built by various states to defend each other. It was not until Qin Shi Huang (259 - 210 BC), the first emperor of China, ordered the connection and repair of all those segments that the fame of the Wall truly spread far and wide. At that time, millions of soldiers, farmers and prisoners, braving the scorching sun and enduring the bitter cold, carried heavy stones to the mountains day after day to finally build this military barrier. The corvee labor was so arduous that a tale circulated among the folk: Just three days after the marriage, a man was sent to build the Great Wall. His bride soon went to find him, only to learn he had died from overwork. She cried there for three days and three nights until the wall collapsed, revealing his body. After burying him, she threw herself into the sea.

Upon arrival, hike with your guide along the most classic northern route, suitable for most visitors with average physical strength, offering you both essential views to take in and steep terrain to challenge yourself. From the No. 1 to the No.7 Watchtower, the gradient is relatively gentle, which is just the warm-up for you. Learn about those distinctive watchtowers at your own pace, including the No.5 with the most arched doorways used for soldiers’ rapid movement and supplies’ transport. Afterward, hold the handrail and climb the precipitous section of nearly 70°, also known as the Hero Slope, up to the No.8 Watchtower, the commanding height of the Badaling Great Wall, also called the Sun Viewing Platform. When we get here, just as the sun is setting, you could see the sea of clouds mingling with the sun in the distance, and the winding walls gilded with an amber luster. Also, take the chance to capture your silhouette against the backdrop of the orange sky and the dragon-like Great Wall. After the visit, the guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.​

Your private day trip to Forbidden City and Badaling Great Wall so far has ended. Thank you for travelling with us! If you don’t mind sharing the tour with others, our affordable small group of about 12 people is an excellent choice. You’ll visit the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, and Mutianyu Great Wall, with worry-free hotel pick-up service. Please contact us if this interests you. For more Beijing highlights, such as the Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, and Lama Temple, contact us anytime to customize a personalized itinerary for you.